A user environment, such as a residence or an office building for example, may be configured using various types of load control systems. A lighting control system may be used to control the lighting loads in the user environment. A motorized window treatment control system may be used to control the natural light provided to the user environment. A heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system may be used to control the temperature in the user environment.
Each load control system may include various control devices, including input devices and load control devices. The load control devices may receive digital messages, which may include load control instructions, for controlling an electrical load from one or more of the input devices. The load control devices may be capable of directly controlling an electrical load. The input devices may be capable of indirectly controlling the electrical load via the load control device.
Examples of load control devices may include lighting control devices (e.g., a dimmer switch, an electronic switch, a ballast, or a light-emitting diode (LED) driver), a motorized window treatment, a temperature control device (e.g., a thermostat), an AC plug-in load control device, and/or the like. Examples of input devices may include remote control devices, occupancy sensors, daylight sensors, temperature sensors, and/or the like.
To enable a load control device to recognize instructions received from an input device, the load control system may be commissioned, such that the load control device may recognize the digital messages received from the input device. As part of the commissioning of the load control system, the load control devices and the input devices may be configured such that the devices are associated with one another for recognizing messages communicated between associated devices and performing load control based on such messages.
Some prior art commissioning procedures allow for advanced features during normal operation of the load control system (e.g., demand response, whole building control, energy reporting, etc.). However, these procedures can be very time consuming and complicated, and require highly-trained commissioning agents to complete the commissioning procedure. Before the commissioning procedure may be initiated, a database defining the control devices, the relationships (e.g., associations) between the control devices, and the operation of the control devices of the load control system must be created using, for example, a computer. Accordingly, a highly-trained worker must identify each of the control devices to be installed in the building for performing load control, generate the associations between the control devices, and program the operation of the control devices using the computer to generate the database prior to the commissioning procedure. Then during the commissioning procedure, one or more highly-trained commissioning agents must download the database to the control devices of the load control system and then map the programming in the database to the physical control devices installed in the building, which can be a very time consuming and expensive task.
Other prior art commissioning procedures can be less complicated, can be completed in less time, and do not require highly-skilled commissioning agent. The load control systems that may be commissioned using such procedures, however, lack the advanced features provided by the more complicated load control systems described above. In addition, the less-complicated commissioning procedures may require a contractor who is configuring the load control system to press a button on the load control device (which may be located in the ceiling or some other remote location) and a corresponding input device (e.g., a remote control device) to cause the two devices to associate with one another for enabling load control. During normal operation of these load control systems, the load control devices may receive messages from associated input devices and perform a limited number of predefined commands according to the predefined messages that may be transmitted from the input devices. Though associating the devices may be completed more quickly in such a commissioning procedure, the ultimate control is less advanced. The association of a large group of devices by performing a button press on each device can also be time consuming, as the contractor may have to climb a ladder and press a button on devices in the ceiling (or other locations in the room, such as the walls) multiple times.
The commissioning procedures described above require knowledge of each of the devices being associated in a load control system. Some of the above commissioning procedures also require physically actuating buttons on each input device and/or knowledge of the location of each of the control devices being associated in the load control system. Identifying the location of each of the control devices in a load control system may be particularly difficult, as the location of the control devices are generally installed prior to assigning a communication address for communicating load control instructions to the devices. Such difficulties may cause individuals commissioning the system to spend a lot of time searching for particular devices to be configured and, once the devices have been found, performing lengthy configuration methods to enable the devices to control electrical loads in a location. Accordingly, current commissioning procedures of load control systems may be time consuming and inconvenient.